Prologue

She rushed through the narrow tunnel, her breath grew heavy, and her sides stung from running so long. Her once constant pace had become slow and sloppy, they would be at her throat any minute now. She had a couple of minutes if she was lucky, and she wasn't. She stomped her foot in frustration, as she'd taken a wrong turn in the Rat Ways, and found herself facing a stone brick wall. She went to retrace her steps and get ahead of her pursuers as quickly as possible, but she wasn't so lucky. Turning, she met the blades of several Royal Guards, each wearing a crusader type armor with a red and yellow mix. And on their chest, was the symbol of her home, a giant fireball with two swords behind it. She once was proud to wear that symbol, now she regretted it, and she would until she faded from existence.

"You have nowhere to run, please come without a commotion." the head guard said.

Like hell, she thought. She spread her hands apart as wide as she could manage. A few of the guards flinched, as they realized what she was about to do.

"Please, Princess Harada, don't do anything that will be taken harshly against you later!" the guard pleaded. The guards readied there weapons, some holding swords and shields, other holding spears, and the rare archers strung their bows in the back.

"I will not be judged by my family in such a harsh manner, for what they've done I cannot stay." The princess said, her voice echoed throughout the Rat Ways. "Ambriel!" She said clapping her hands together. The second her hands collided, a blinding light filled the tunnels. From the spot the Princess was standing a wave of fire spread outward towards the group of guards. They staggered backwards, the group closer to the princess were shoved over by the force of the wave of fire. An effective technique against anyone that wasn't from the Ember Palace. The Royal Guards however were unaffected by the flame in the wave. Once the wave had passed, and the group of guards regained their footing, they realized the princess was gone.

"That damn spirit!" the group leader cursed. "Its taken her the one place we cannot follow."

"We did get a hit on the princess, sir."

The group leader removed his crusader helmet, revealing his charming features. His sharp completion, and dark red eyes were a stunning shade of beauty. His long red hair which was tied into a ponytail was wet from sweat, but he ignored it.

"What do you mean?" The leader asked, turning towards another guard who approached holding a bow and arrow. The guard stopped in front of him and saluted.

"I was able to land a hit before that spirit knocked us all off guard!"

The head guard nodded, "That's something, with the injury she shouldn't be able to make the jump at once. She'll need to stop to heal..." The leader's voice trailed off for a second, then he snapped his fingers. "Get 'Him' here immediately."

The guards exchanged an uneasy look, "Sir?" one asked. "What exactly are you planning?"

"Never mind that, just bring him here!" The guards shuffled and quickly rushed down the tunnels. "Fools." The leader muttered to himself. He glanced at the spot the princess had been standing in. The fire had singed the stone floor black, but there was a clear spot where she'd been standing, revealing where the wave of fire had parted around her.

"Damn Spirits." he whispered, still examining the spot.